Brushing from the Shadows
by That-Cheeky-Bat
Summary: Bunny's having a hard time with his bi-yearly shedding. He can't quite manage to properly groom himself, looking a fool as he tried to do just that as he waits for Jack to return. However his sanity is saved when an offer of a proper grooming comes from a being he'd have never guessed. Fluff! Pitch/Bunny Fluffy fluff fluff.


**Disclaimer:** Don't own Rise of the Guardians or the characters, etc...

So…you guys did see this coming…right? Especially the peeps who stalk me and know I have a love of fluff (apparently) and saw me mention this in one of my many stories. But here's a one shot, it was supposed to be short but I got a bit carried away, of Bunny getting brushed by Pitch!

Why? Because I think it's hilarious and I might have a small problem.

I drop the f-bomb and the work 'damn' below, but that's nothing teens haven't heard/seen before so just beware of that, otherwise it's clean adorable-ness :)

Enjoy

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Bunny rolled around on the grass outside by Jack's lake, waiting for the annoying larrikin to get back from his trip to Russia. Why was Bunny waiting for Jack? Well, Jack had managed to talk Bunny into letting him help in the Warren with some tilling of the fields, followed by Bunny letting Jack test some of his new chocolate recipes. The only problem was that Jack had left a few minutes ago and Bunny had to wait for about three hours.

He didn't have anything pressing to do, luckily. This was exactly why he had taken up rolling around on the grass in an attempt to scratch his ever itching back thanks to his winter coat shedding. He swore he was plucking more hair from his nest every morning than a rapidly balding man—and worse yet it _itched_ when it didn't come out right and matted in his undercoat. He harrumphed on the grass, wriggling his shoulders before he rolled and tossed his head, followed quickly by the shaking of his body before he hunched down on his four limbs and set away to actively scratching again.

It was a tedious process alone, and _very_ annoying considering he was supposed to have a _Mate_ who helped with this or at least another Pooka whose course tongue could get the bloody hairs out right with their rough, cat-like, tongue. Bunny grumped yet again, resigning over to the constant itch that settled itself over his form and scratched at his side with a wide yawn. He frowned when he tugged out more fur that had shed and halfway debated jumping into the bloody lake to see if shaking off like a wet rat might help.

"Trouble rabbit?" Pitch murmured from under the shadow of a tree just to the right of Bunny's vision.

Bunny reacted, straightening onto his hind legs and stood tall with his boomerangs brandished and ready to fly with an exploding egg tightly gripped into the palm of one of his pawed hands that held a boomerang. Bunny narrowed his gaze on Pitch, watching as he cautiously stepped forward out into the sunlight of the small meadow by Jack's lake and narrowing his own gaze towards Bunny as he put his hands up into the air in a peaceful motion.

"I'm not here to cause problems, as hard as that might be to believe." Pitch said, having been watching Bunny's little show for the past thirty minutes and beginning to feel sympathy for the last of an alien species. It really had been pathetic watching him struggle through his grooming procedure, which would explain why he'd become so rugged looking of late compared to how put together he _had _been years ago. Pitch smirked languidly, nodding his head towards Bunny. "I was asking if you were having trouble because you've spent the past half hour looking like an actual rabbit as you roll around on the grass and toss yourself about to shake off."

Bunny warily lowered his boomerangs and tucked away the egg he had pulled from one of its holsters. He crossed his arms, unsure how he felt about Pitch approaching him—especially after their last battle.

"And what exactly makes ya think that Ah'd let ya help with anythin' relatin' ta me? Ya killed off mah entire family—mah bloody _planet_. Why would Ah _ever_ let ya near me?" Bunny pressed, growling out the end.

"Because I, unlike the rest of the Guardians, know how to properly _brush_ you so you can find some relief from your irritating problem." Pitch pressed, lowering his hands and shrugging. "Plus, you _shouldn't_ fear me at the moment. I can't even harm a fly after the beating you lot put me through."

Bunny snarled towards him, ready to toss his boomerangs before Pitch summoned up a brush from his own nightmare sand. Bunny eyed it warily again and Pitch heaved a heavy sigh.

"Please, rabbit. Like I said, I can't even harm a fly." Pitch sounded exasperated and exhausted, the sound so odd that Bunny's ears twitched. It wasn't something he heard often from the usually snarky pom. "C'mon then I don't have all bloody day. Off with the bandolier and lay on your stomach. You can sunbathe while I brush you _properly_ and you'll shut your trap and enjoy it."

Bunny sighed. Pitch had a point, he _was_ weak—more so than usual after the last battle—and Bunny really did love Tooth and North, not to mention Sandy and Jack, but none of them knew how to properly help him when it came to grooming. Pitch, on the other hand, had spent a good year engrossed within Bunny's customs as one of the golden soldiers. Bunny lifted his gaze after he unhooked his bandolier and gazed towards Pitch, staring at the dark figure and seeing glimpses of the man he used to be.

His ears perked forward in curiosity. Would it be too much to _hope_ that Koz would come back? Even if it was little steps like this where Bunny had to drop his guard around him and let him to something he had been familiar with before he was overshadowed? Bunny dropped the bandolier and laid flat; taking a chance and throwing his trust in that budding bit of hope as he leaned his chin on his forearms as he folded them under him and huffed.

"A'right, have at it. But Ah warn ya, mess with anythin' in any way Ah don't like and Ah'll stick an explodin' egg where the sun don't shine." He muttered angrily, both at ends with this situation and irritated with how _fucking_ itchy he was and how desperate he was for relief. "Ya hear that shadow jockey?"

"Yes, I hear you." Pitch muttered, gripping the brush and kneeling down next to Bunny.

The first thing Pitch did was run his lithe and long fingers through Bunny's soft fur, taking in the feel of the rougher exterior before he felt that velvety softness below. He lifted his hand and pressed his fingers together; feeling the grime that had gathered over the course of what was probably years and making a disgusted face briefly as he realized _that_ was what was giving Bunny's fur such a rough exterior when he was supposed to be velvety smooth and soft as a cushion. Pitch frowned, leaning to the left and narrowing his eyes on Bunny.

"How long has it been since you've been _bathed_ properly? You aren't supposed to be this _rough_ from who knows what with you." Pitch chastised with a tsking.

"Oi, cut me some bloody slack. Ah can't exactly do mah normal grooming routine anymore. It takes too bloody long and Ah haven't had the time ta figure out a way ta make it faster and efficient." Bunny muttered angrily.

"Don't the others help you?" Pitch asked, setting away to combing against the path to which Bunny's fur went. His brows rose as the brush came away with chunks of fur, a mixture of the rougher outlaying coat along with knotted clumps from the softer fur. "My gods, Bunny, you need a proper bath."

"Ah'm not takin' a bloody bath—deal with it." Was the man-sized rabbit's response. "And they do help…but none of them'll listen ta me when Ah tell them they're doin' it wrong."

Pitch rolled his eyes in sympathy and sighed. "No offense, rabbit, but your fellow Guardians are about as thick as they get. But they should at least be able to scrub you correctly for a bath with water, shampoo and conditioner, no?" Bunny glanced to him over his furred shoulder and raised a brow that spoke volumes to Pitch. He rolled his eyes again as he remembered Bunny had never been one for baths in the first place. "So be it, but if I tug out a knot of matted fur and you clip me with one of your bloody boomerangs I'm going to give you nightmares for a month."

"Deal." Bunny harrumphed, tilting his head downward and putting his forehead against his forearms.

Pitch set away to combing again, taking out the top layer first by brushing it the right way. It took an hour to do this, Bunny grumping at him the entire time as he brushed even the more _personal_ areas of the Pooka. Pitch had told him to shut up and deal with it, especially since it wasn't something he hadn't seen before already. He'd taken a little too much joy out of seeing that shy, sheepish, embarrassed look Bunny wore when he'd said that. Pitch then set away to the harder part of the brushing—the thorough brushing.

He summoned up a smaller tined brush and set away to going against Bunny's fur again, feeling the change in the Pooka's fur from just that first initial brushing and wondering just how much softer he was going to be soon as his fur was brushed properly. Pitch tugged once or twice at two particularly hard areas and Bunny dug his claws into the Earth below him with a hiss, but urged Pitch to carry on with trying to remove the tufts of matted fur—especially since they had been there for a good year and were uncomfortable to sleep with.

"Alright, flip." Pitch directed, and Bunny did just that without any snarky comments or grumping. Pitch set away to once again brushing and glanced to Bunny out of the corner of his eye. He'd never seen the Pooka this relaxed before, looking like a kit that was being cared for by his mother. It was so odd he had to comment. "Enjoying your grooming?"

"Mm." Bunny grunted out, his breathing slowed and his eyes closed. "Feels good…feels like home."

Pitch's hand that held the brush stilled for a moment, that little addition to Bunny's approval of his brushing making Pitch halt as a flash of a memory crossed by his eyes—blinding him for a brief moment. He saw himself _before_ the Fearlings got into him, before he became who he currently was. Salt and pepper hair, an oddly warm smile on his face and honey brown eyes that glittered with pride instead of having a predatory gleam. He'd seen himself injured, wrapped from the left shoulder and around his chest, sitting on the edge of his bed with a small E. Aster Bunnymund in front of him, talking away about what he had done that day as Koz brushed him—helping Aster's mother around the burrow since both Aster's father and mother had been kind enough to not only heal his wounds but offer him a home to recover in, even if they _were_ packed already with six kits running amok.

Pitch smiled warmly, fleetingly, as his heart gave a familiar flutter and he laughed lightly, moving to the tuft of fur at Bunny's chest and setting away to coming through it—still going opposite of the fur's path. He _actually_ remembered Bunny as a kit, remembered wondering what _this_ highly intelligent and comprehensive being was going to turn into when he grew up. Pitch remembered thinking how Bunny would've turned into the next clan's leader, or the next healer. Possibly even the next inventor. The kit's skills were wide and his knack for knowledge always making him able to achieve in every new field he picked up a hobby in.

His heart dipped, though, when he realized _he_ had been the one who ripped all that away. Pitch shook his head, pushing the horrific memories of that day back like the bad dream they were, focusing back in on brushing Bunny and realizing the overgrown rabbit had fallen asleep on him.

Pitch smirked, continuing his ministrations with the brush and even having the nerve to make sure the tufts at the bases of his ears were thoroughly brushed—even if they were one of the better taken care of spots. Pitch told Bunny to flip again, disrupting his miniature nap briefly, the command complied to without anything more than a relieved and contented sigh from Bunny. Pitch then set away to running his hands through Bunny's fur and marveled at how much softer it was now without all the rougher bits of fur intermixing and knotting through it. In fact, Bunny practically gleamed in the sunlight now and had a silky hue to him.

Pitch sat back, glancing to the pile of discarded fur to the right and cocking a brow. "You do realize that I could make a right proper couch with the amount of fur I tugged from your frame."

"Shove it Koz." Bunny muttered before his frame tensed, followed by him clearing his throat and then saying, "Ah meant Pitch."

Pitch crossed his arms and kept his brow cocked. "Sure you did."

"Can it ya bloody ratbag." Bunny grumped, pushing up from the grass before Pitch slapped one of his ears, earning him a snarl and a glare from Bunny. "What the—"

"I still need to get between your toes. Lay back down." Pitch interrupted, taking on a tone that reminded Bunny of that time _ages_ ago when Pitch had been living with his family, recovering from a Fearling attack.

Bunny sighed, laying back down on his back and marveling at how _amazing_ it felt to not have those two particularly annoying mats of fur knotted into his fur there. It had hurt to get those knotted mats out, but it was worth it to finally be able to sleep on his back again. He didn't know how much longer he could've stood those mats, and he couldn't bring it up to North because all that man ever wanted to do was shave him—and Jack didn't help any in that regard, having always wanted to see Bunny shaved. Bunny frowned, propping his head up on his forearms and using them as a pillow. He felt Koz—no Pitch—lift one of his large feet and set away to giving them a light massaging, which felt beyond amazing, followed by the careful combing of each bit of his large feet.

He heard Pitch muttering things under his breath about him needing to take better care of himself and warned him that if he ever planned on taking a proper bath that he was more than willing to assist. Bunny's heart clenched in his chest, remembering all the days where Koz had been there night after night, wrestling with him and playing as he struggled to get Aster into the bath. However Aster would always buckle, because the man could massage shampoo and conditioner into fur _and_ turn it into a massage all in the same process. Aster always remembered how soothing the baths had been, remembered the smell of eucalyptus and spearmint and how it relaxed and de-stressed him after a long day of living with five siblings who all felt the need to pick on him for being one of the two middle kits. Aster felt his throat tighten as he remembered the night Koz had wrapped him in one of their towels, made rougher and more like a brush to properly dry and comb through the fur to keep it from knotting, and set away to pacing through the house as he began to feel better. Aster had remembered tucking his head into the crook of Koz's neck and lulling off into sleep right there—perfectly happy in the arms of a being that wasn't of his species, let alone from his planet.

"In case you're wondering, I miss it too." Pitch replied, making Bunny start.

Bunny's brows knit together and he cleared away the tightness of his throat. "Ah don't have a damn clue what yer talkin' about."

Pitch snorted in disbelief, dropping the hind leg he had finished with before he shaped a file. He gripped up Bunny's right hind foot again and set away to filing away at the claws. Bunny snorted right back, sitting up with a raised brow.

"Ya don't have ta do the claws, Ah got 'em." Bunny leaned forward to reach out to his hand and Pitch slapped them away.

"Let me do this." Pitch snapped at him, glaring at Bunny while filing away. "You _say_ you can do this, yet here I am filing away all the excess nail length and smoothing away the cracks. Really, have you let yourself slip this much? Or are you just well engrossed into your permanent bachelor status? What would Jack think?"

Pitch threw his head back and laughed at the stunned look Bunny gave to Pitch when he said that. He switched to another toe, snickering when Bunny began to sputter.

"Ah don't…ya don't—Oh cram it ya bloody limey!" Bunny griped, crossing his arms and glaring towards a tree. "Ya don't know what yer talkin' about."

"Oh please. If you're thinking about asking Jack to join you in the Warren then you better start taking care of yourself—and teaching him how to help you groom yourself." Pitch replied, cocking a brow. "Don't forget how your clan was Aster. Pookas weren't described as a brotherhood for nothing."

"Ah know that!" Bunny griped, and then added with an irritable hitch: "And don't call me Aster!"

"It's your—no wait, Easter is your real name—but you always preferred Aster." Pitch muttered, picking up the next hind foot and setting away to filing at the claw on the first of three digits there. "Isn't that why you started calling it Easter? Because you wanted to slap your claim on the Holiday in a way that North couldn't?"

Bunny smirked, chuckling. "That _might_ be one of the reasons ta me namin' the Holiday after mah first name, but Ah still prefer Aster. Was mah Da's name and all."

Pitch nodded, finishing up with the last claw and then clapping his hands together after he sent off the file he had made from nightmare sand. He stood, heading for the edge of the clearing that led to his ruined bed frame that housed his small hole to his realm—only recently revitalized as an entrance since Pitch had recovered enough to at least enter back into the Human realm again. Pitch turned at the edge, watching as Bunny stretched and gave a light shaking—the fur moving correctly this time instead of looking as if it was catching on itself. Pitch tilted his head and watched as Bunny brandished his bandolier again and glanced up to him.

"Ta, Pitch." Bunny murmured. "Ah appreciate it."

"Same time Friday?" Pitch asked, raising a hand and scratching his jaw. "You need a proper brushing every three to four days while you're shedding; else you just get knotted back up again."

Bunny shrugged. "Why not, yer weak as a kitten."

Pitch smirked. "Make sure you bring your preferred shampoo and conditioner."

"No baths!" Bunny grumped.

"You are getting a bath, either with the shampoo and conditioner you prefer or with something I find in my lair." Pitch turned on his heel, laughing darkly as Bunny grumbled and swore—followed by Jack's incessant sniggering when he spotted the pile of hair that Pitch had left in the clearing.

"You could make a couch out of this!" Jack had shouted and Pitch turned to see Jack jump onto the hair, Bunny rolling his eyes and immediately setting in to barking orders and reprimands to the childish nature of Jack. "Oh come on Cottontail! This is great, it's like leaves! No! It's like a cloud!"

"Frost!" Bunny shouted indignantly, the yell echoing out through the meadow as Pitch stepped back into his realm, feeling oddly at peace.

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**A/N**: Also I'm aware that giving rabbits baths are bad, I **own** and have **volunteered** with rabbits for **years**. But for the sake of humor (and taking into account that Bunny isn't necessarily a rabbit per-say) I made mention of a bath. So don't chew me out over it, k? I'm well educated rabbit-wise and I know baths aren't a good thing/are considered last ditch efforts to clean for the sake of health.

Hope you enjoyed the fluff, don't die from it plz. :)


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